Computer simulator among experts involved in screening colonoscopy.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Medical Simulation
• Endoscopy Training

Background:

• Operator competence assessment is crucial in the era of screening colonoscopy.
• Traditional methods for assessing colonoscopy skills may be limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using a computer simulator (CS) for assessing colonoscopy competence.
• To investigate the performance of expert endoscopists on a CS platform.

Main Methods:

• Twenty expert endoscopists participated in the study.
• Participants completed a questionnaire on their clinical practice and performance.
• Experts performed simulated easy and difficult colonoscopies on a CS in a randomized order.

Main Results:

• CS performance, including time to caecal intubation and mucosa exploration, was sensitive to simulation difficulty.
• Withdrawal times were often shorter than recommended for optimal polyp detection.
• No significant correlation was found between CS performance and clinical practice outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Computer simulator scores reflect technical difficulty and the impact of nurse assistance.
• Current CS metrics may not fully represent real-world clinical competence.
• CS shows potential as an accepted tool for colonoscopy competence assessment, but further validation is needed.